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Updates:
Three new sections included (9 October '98)
Comments from Mike Broderick included (8 October '98)
Capital letter..." section added. (6 October '98) 

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Tip of the month is edited by Peter Ring, PRC (Peter Ring Consultants, Denmark)
- consultants on how to write user friendly manuals

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If you have corrections, better texts or suggestions for improvements, please let me know.

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This tip was originally inspired by Scott Miller, who on 30 June '98 wrote on TECHWR-L:

"I also can't stand bulleted lists that attempt to be a sentence, like this:

You can

• walk to the market wearing a leapord-skin pillbox hat
• go swimming, if you have a swimming suit and a bathing cap and don't mind the danger of sharks, crocodiles, and pollution
• go home."

The tip was further improved by feedback from readers. The last three points on the list are based on an e-mail from Mike Broderick, InDoc, Germany.

Contents

• Why bulleted lists?
• Full stop or not after a point of a bulleted list?
• Capital letter or not after a bullet?
• When to use numbered and when to use bulleted items?
• How many points are sensible, considering our short-term memory? New!
• How should multi-level lists be constructed? New!
• What bullet symbols are to be used? New!

Why bulleted lists?

Let's take Scott's example above, un-bulleted:

• a swimming suit
• a bathing cap
• don't mind the danger of
• sharks
• crocodiles
• pollution
• go home."

Like it or not from an academic linguistic viewpoint, but it's more user friendly to most people (except maybe lawyers, patent people, and some scientists.)

Due to their graphic separation and placement, bulleted lists are easier to survey than lists in sentences is elementary. A bulleted list is a common visualisation tool we are all familiar with.

And when writing manuals, the most important issue is to make ALL the readers understand what we are writing - right?

Therefore, if you want to write in a user friendly way, use bullets wherever you have got lists!

Full stop or not after a point of a bulleted list?

There are no fixed rules here; you can do as you like, so once again I have tried to look at it from the viewpoint of user-friendliness.

My personal preferences are:

• Full stop
• at the end of all full sentences, incl. sentences with a shared start like the example above. Reason: It makes it easier to understand that this ends the sentence.
• at the end of non-sentences longer than one line. Reason: it makes it easier survey where the point ends, i.e. if a line is not ending with a full stop, continue at the next line.
• if one point in the block has a full stop, all points of the list - at that level - should have full stops! Reason: consistency - teaches the reader YOUR way of writing.
• At least always put "!" or "?" at the end of "sentences" where relevant, e.g. when ending a question. Reason: "!" and "?" marks the special type of that sentence. (This means full stops at all other points at that list according to the third sub-point above.)
• No full stop
• with a list of items (example: sharks, crocodiles, pollution, above). Reason: Indicates, it's a list of items, not a list of (un)complete sentences.
• with a list of short non-sentences all of which are shorter than one line. Reason: Indicates, it's a list of non-sentences.

Capital letter or not after a bullet?

The Microsoft manual of style: Always capitals after bullets.

The Chicago Manual of Style, section 8.76: "...in the example above, each item begins with a capital letter and ends without punctuation. If, as is also the case above, the enumerated items are syntactically part of a sentence, the items may also begin lowercase and carry appropriate end punctuation.

Thanks to Brigitte Starkey for putting my attention to this point.

When to use numbered and when to use bulleted items?

How many points are sensible, considering our short-term memory?

• If the list is to be memorised , the 7 +/- 2 rule is very sensible. This means max. 5 points with weak readers (3 with very weak readers) and preferably not more than 9 points even with readers with a good short-term memory.
• If the list is not to be memorised, there is in principle no limit (but with lists over many pages, some sort of an index should be considered). This is e.g. the case with a list where the reader can search for his/her own current situation (for example which insurance you need if you are a house owner, boat owner, dog owner, ...).

How should multi-level lists be constructed?

• Each sublevel should be indented relative to the previous sublevel.
• Each sublevel should preferably have its own bullet symbol.
• Consider using e.g. bold face "headings" on the superior level(s).
• If a page starts on level 2 or higher, consider starting the page with repeating the headings in parentheses ( ) or brackets [ ]. This is mainly needed if the list items are long and the list structure is essential and complicated.

• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3
• Level 3
• Level 2
• Level 3

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<Top of page>
• (<Actual level 1 short text> - continued)
• (<Actual level2 short text> - continued)
• (<Actual level 3 short text> - continued)
• Level 1 - next item
• ...

What bullet symbols are to be used?

If you make on-line documents (e.g. Windows help), make sure to select symbols available on the readers' computers, or - if possible - include the fonts used with the file.

If you disagree with these ideas - or have other relevant points, experiences, or ideas +/-, please e-mail me !

Ideas for new "Tip of the month" subjects are VERY welcome, too!

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